Attendance Surges for 15th Annual Festival Latino in August

The 15th annual Festival Latino saw a surge in attendance this year when it returned to Genoa Park on August 14 and 15. In its second year being produced by CAPA, the Festival hosted 35,000 over the two-day, free event featuring national and Ohio-based Latin-American music acts, dancing, artists, food, and children's' activities. Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-nominated Jerry Rivera, a world-renowned Puerto Rican salsa singer, drew 10,000 to his Sunday evening performance.

"This event really brings the community together to celebrate, enjoy, and learn about Latin-American culture, so it's both rewarding and exciting to see the substantial increase in attendance," stated Luis Alcalde, CAPA Board Member and Chair of CAPA's Festival Latino Steering Committee.

New in 2010 was an artists' area showcasing the works of three Ohio-based Latin artists, and an expanded children's' area featuring COSI's Science Spot interactive science exhibition. Also new in 2010 was a live runway show featuring items of traditional Latin clothing.

Returning attractions included a free children's soccer clinic hosted by the Columbus Crew, a community resources area offering information about career opportunities, job training, and education programs, and a health and wellness area offering health screenings and bilingual information on health and social services.

Attendance for the 2009 Festival Latino was 20,000.

For more information on this year's Festival Latino, visit http://www.festivallatino.net/.

Photo Credit: Festival Latino 2007

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